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SAINT BERNARD |
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High in the Swiss Alps is the Hospice du Grand St. Bernard. Located at St. Gotthard's pass near the Italian border, this monastery is one of the highest and oldest human settlements in Europe. The Romans erected a temple to Jupiter there as they marched north to conquer Europe. In the tenth century, Bernard of Menthon (later canonized St. Bernard) built a Hospice over the old ruins and dedicated his life to helping the poor and needy pilgrims who traveled through the pass on their way to Rome, often on foot. The monks at
St. Bernard's worked to aid travelers and to rescue victims of avalanches
and bitter winters. By 1707, the overworked monks soon realized that dogs,
with their superior noses, strength and weather-resistant coats, were
better equipped to guide and rescue travelers. Humans couldn't follow
the treacherous narrow trails when deep snow covered them, and often plunged
to their death. But the sure-footed dogs showed them the way. The dogs'
amazing sense of direction was a godsend in blizzards, when even the native
monks became lost and disoriented.
Initial attempts
utilized a hodge-podge of mastiff cast-offs from the Roman era. But by
1800, the monks had established a kennel and their own breeding program,
generally calling the dogs Alpine Mastiffs.
Edwin Landseer,
at the age of 17, immortalized these dogs on canvas, and established not
only their fame but his own as a dog portraiteur. One work, entitled Alpine
Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler, portrays two dogs standing
over a fallen traveler. One of the rescuers bayed its alarm, and the other,
with the all-important brandy cask around its neck, attempted to revive
the man by licking his hand. Landseer's whimsical addition of a non-existent
brandy keg has carried through the years as a symbol.
The youngsters accompanied
adult dogs on their missions, learning from their experienced elders.
It is said if a person were found, one Saint lay down on each side,
furnishing body heat. Another licked the face, attempting to revive
the victim, and yet a fourth dog returned to the monastery for assistance. Tales of
their great rescues abound, with 2,500 lives credited to the dogs.
One of the most famous dogs, "Barry," reportedly saved 40
lives. On his 41st mission, his rescue attempt ended in tragedy when
the person killed Barry in a misbegotten "fit of cowardly terror."
Around 1810, the breed was often referred to as Barry hounds.
They were,
at first, all moderately sized and shorthaired. In the 1830s the canine
population at the Hospice was decimated by losses, disease, inbreeding
and bad winters. Over the next few decades, the monks outcrossed to
other breeds to regain vigor and establish the St. Bernard as we know
it today. As a side effect, crosses to larger breeds, such as the
Newfoundland, increased the size and introduced the longhaired variety.
Today the St. Bernard dogs are still mascots at the monastery.
The Reverend
J.C. Macdona, an English owner, brought the breed before the public
around 1870. He and other fanciers of that time standardized the St.
Bernard. It never takes long for a breed creating a sensation to reach
America, and the first Saints competed at Westminster Kennel Club
in 1877. Asking prices were listed for a few of the dogs in the Westminster
catalog, with some of the St. Bernard price tags greater than $1,000.
These dogs
are gargantuan in size and in accomplishments, with three listed in
the Guinness Book of World Records. "Benedictine"
won the honor of the largest dog on record by tipping the truck scales
at 305 pounds. A Saint named Ayette's Brandy Bear shifted the heaviest
load, 6,400'/2 pounds of steel on a wheeled cart, for 15 feet in less
than 90 seconds. And a bitch, appropriately named "Careless Ann,"
tied the record for the largest litter with 23 puppies whelped.
As true
giants, they have the physical problems associated with the other
large breeds. Their gait is lumbering, they slobber and are expensive
to feed. Families that are willing to cope with these aspects have
majesty at their feet.
Saints are
not always "saints," but they are always large. The combination
takes an owner who is willing to discipline that adorable ball of
fluff right from the start. Responsible breeders urge buyers to be
selective, choosing from sturdy-bodied parentage with gentle temperament.
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